PORTLAND – The ACLU of Maine will be at Portland City Hall at 12:01 a.m. on December 29 to celebrate as same-sex couples are able to begin receiving marriage licenses.

A new law granting full marriage equality to same-sex couples, passed by voters on Election Day,goes into effect at midnight and Portland City Hall will open at 12:01 a.m. Several other city and town halls will also open on Dec. 29, and others on Dec. 31. Couples who are interested in obtaining marriage licenses should call their local town or city clerk’s office for more information.

“The hard work of the campaign to win marriage for all loving and committed couples in our state is worth it for this moment” said Jill Barkley, Marriage Project Coordinator for the ACLU of Maine. “Some of these couples have been waiting literally decades for the freedom to marry. I can’t wait to witness the first marriages in Portland at midnight and around the state shortly after.”

Couples who obtain their marriage licenses on Dec. 29 can also have their marriages solemnized that day by an officiant. In addition to couples that will marry on Dec. 29, there are hundreds of same-sex couples living in Maine who have been married in other states. At midnight, Maine will legally recognize those marriages.

“All of the work we do is deeply important, but not all of it is as deeply personal as being able to marry the person you love,” said Shenna Bellows, Executive Director of the ACLU of Maine. “December 29 marks one more milestone in the march toward full equality.”

The ACLU of Maine has compiled a list of couples planning to marry on Dec. 29 who are willing to be contacted by the media. Additionally, the ACLU of Maine is working with other organizations to plan for the events in Portland at midnight on the morning of Dec. 29. Please contact Jill Barkley for more information.